Everybody loves a good hero story.
Even our ancestors who came up with all the folklores, epics and mythologies that we know of have always romanticized the triumph of good over evil. And we can see that from the stories they wrote. There’s always two sides. A villain who causes the malady and the hero who fights his way to save the day.
And we love it. We can’t get enough of it. So much so that most of the stories’ theme (or more like a model already) is this:
Everything is well and at peace
A villain appears and creates chaos.
The hero rises up to the occasion to defeat the villain
Peace is restored.
That simple. And yet we still buy it. There’s something so compelling about it.
What we always take for granted is the uncanny fact that the Villain seems to have figured out everything he needs to do to succeed (until the hero kicks his ass).
He planned for it all.
If we come to think of it actually, if it wasn’t for the radical ideologies of the villain, we wouldn’t be having any plot at all! The story revolves around the journey of the protagonist who could defeat the evil who provides the need to become the hero in the first place.
We kinda owe the whole story to the villain for giving something to do for our would-be hero.
If the villain provides the whole plot in which the hero could take upon the responsibility of saving the day, what if we could use the same principle in guiding our lives?
Plan Like A Villain
The planning skills of villains come from the fact that they have set a goal in mind to begin with.
They know what they want.
They made a decision that they will act.
They have committed themselves to ensuring that their ideals will come into reality.
And everything they do from then on is a deliberate step towards their ultimate goal.
Looks it’s pretty much like what life coaches these days preach about. Maybe in a myriad of ways, but the core message stays the same, right?
Have a goal.
Set a plan.
Execute the plan.
Things will suck, but it’s part of the process. Stick with the goal, adjust the plans.
Stumble your way to your goals.
It’s fixing our eyes on the details that matter. And at the same time discerning the things that don’t.
Gearing our focus to only what’s essential and acting on it, however small.
Act Like the Hero
Now that we’ve convinced ourselves that there is an ideal version of us (and the world) worth pursuing, it is time to act on those convictions.
That means acting out our ideals like our life depends on it. Because more often than not, it actually does. We may not see it right now, but everything adds up eventually.
Yes we have to think like villains, but we have to act like the heroes of our own lives.
So whenever we find ourselves simply reacting to life, let’s remember that we have the innate potential to make our lives better or at least, less miserable.
But it will require us to think deeply and plan like villains.
Making our goals clear.
Making our own life plan instead of just waiting.
It’s the only way. There’s no other role to play. And nobody’s gonna come and save us but ourselves.
